Creative news

Red Herring The Red Herring and How To Use It - Without spoilers

May 26, 2022

Learn Online Online in writing

Writing creatively, digital blogging, writing and more.    

There's always something interesting when the main character dies in a thriller. In 1960 Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho brought that turn to an entirely new level. He cast a famous actress, Janet Leigh, and began the story by having her escape from the police. Hiding money in her car, she pulls over to the Bates Motel to get a rest as well as to escape the road.

And then, the proprietor of that hotel--well, we'll let you figure out what else. It turns out that the disappearance of Marion Crane was the inciting incident. The incident was just a "red herring" an excuse to avoid the real twists and turns Psycho could have in store for him.

If you're looking to reveal the twist, without teasing your readers, you'll need to make it appear like an art of trickery: Make them looking at the plot in one way, but not any opposite. Here's how to do it.

What exactly is a Red Herring?

We'll start by defining the term red herring. If you consult a dictionary, you'll be able to learn more about the actual fish: Red herring. Red herring emits a distinct smell and is usually smoked, making it an ideal distraction for anyone seeking to disguise the scent of another. It turns out that the use of red herring has greater value in the world of literature as well as entertainment than it does in the world of smoked fish.

What is the Origin of the Red Herring

The concept about using a smelly fish "to to ward off someone's smell" is a tradition that dates to William Cobbett in 1807. The politician-slash-journalist once told a story of using the strong scent of red herring to throw hounds off the scent of a rabbit.

   Learn the Art of Red Herrings from the pros  

   Writing Suspense: How to Create Storylines that Excite in Any Genre  

What genres can you use a red Herring?

Red Herrings in Mysteries

Writers of mystery, and especially those of cozy mysteries, often resort to red herrings for this trick. The Agatha Christie novel Murder on the Orient Express, Hercule Poirot spies a woman in red kimono, who is fleeing from the scene. It turns out that it's not really relevant to the final mystery--but Poirot's fascination with the red Kimono is a constant focus for us.

Red Herrings in Thrillers

There's a risk: spoilers are ahead. M. Night Shyamalan's The Village employs its much-debated twist far after it leads the audience in one direction. It's set up as if the Colonial "village" is under attack by monsters. However, the audience was divided after they find out this central plot is really a cover of the truth. As it turns out, the village's elders were modern people using the threat of creatures to live in a commune as if it were colonial times.

Red Herrings in Sci-Fi

The storyline of The Mist by Steven King The Mist takes a significant amount of time establishing the hopelessness of the main conflict: A town is convinced that it's going being wiped out by monsters. In the movie adaptation produced by the studio, they added a unique twist to the story's ending. In the aftermath of a fatal suicide deal that the main protagonists learn they're only minutes away from being saved. This story is an interesting twist on a red herring that holds out until the very end. It turns out that their loss of hope and not their fear of monsters was the cause of the tragic conclusion.

Red Herring Examples in Literature

  • Miss Havisham from Great Expectations at first glance seems to be Pip's wealthy patron. However, author Charles Dickens takes the less evident route of establishing the love of Miss Havisham as self-serving ways to an end. Someone else--an escaped criminal--ends as the ultimate beneficiary.
  • The Sherlock Holmes story Hounds of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses a butler to create a "red herring." It is a common belief that the butler did it does not it? However, Doyle denies us that using his butler as a way to hide the deeper mystery Holmes will eventually break.

Tips for Using a Red Herring

It is well-known that a red herring is an effective tool, however it should be used in a professional manner. Here are some suggestions on how to implement this difficult literary device into your writing.

Tip #1: Don't Overly Obsessed

Tip #2: Play To, But Ultimately Against, expectations of the reader.

Jiu-Jitsu is an idea of using the opponent's weight and momentum against the opponent. You can do the same for your opponents. Instead of trying to throw your readers off, attempt to be astonished your readers.

Dickens did this artfully through the use of the name Miss Havisham to disguise herself as a red herring. The readers believe that we're intelligent because we deduce from the clues (wealthy woman who is lonely talking to young Pip) that we already know who the wealthy donor is. However, Dickens changes the roles, making Miss Havisham the one with the criminal motives, and the escaped prisoner the mysterious donor.

Tip #3: Try to Tell the Reader That You're Not Telling

However, you must give your reader something to be able to work with. They will not be interested if they feel the plot was unfair, as is the case with the majority of viewers watching M. Night Shyamalan's The Village.

On the other hand, you shouldn't spell everything out in their absence. Agatha Christie's and Then There Were None uses the red herrings of the fake murder. As the information is presented to the reader, we are led to believe that the person who was murdered is however, ultimately we're as clueless like everyone else within the novel. Utilizing a red herring in a total mystery adds to the suspense, and makes the readers know there's an issue to figure out, even if they aren't able to put their finger to what the mystery is.

Red Herrings: The Art of Using the Wrong Scent

If you're going to throw people "off the scent," there's no way to conceal it. You need a new smell completely. This is the essence of the red herring: Creating the possibility of a new theory that's plausible enough to draw readers to.

It's a balance. The red herring should appear plausible enough to constitute one story, but not plausible enough to be the actual surprise. It should also be unlikely enough to ultimately end up false, but not so unlikely that readers instantly reject it and sense the true twist lurking behind your tale.

   Make sure you nail those plot twists and Spins  

   Writing Stories: 5 exercises to Create a compelling plot